Poinsettia plant named ‘Eckalbeno’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant named ‘Eckalbeno’, characterized by its ball-shaped inflorescences with recurved pale yellow and pink bi-colored flower bracts; recurved dark green-colored leaves; uniform and mounded plant habit; early flowering; and excellent postproduction longevity.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION

Euphorbia pulcherrima.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant, botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd., and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Eckalbeno’.

The new Poinsettia a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Encinitas, Calif. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Poinsettia cultivars having flower bracts with desirable colors, uniform plant habit and excellent post-production longevity.

The new Poinsettia is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of a unnamed proprietary induced mutation, not patented, that originated by exposing unrooted cuttings of the Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. cultivar Eckaddis, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 09/779,340, to gamma radiation. The new Poinsettia was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single plant within a population of plants of the irradiated selection on or about Mar. 3, 2000, in a controlled environment in Encinitas, Calif.

Asexual reproduction of the new Poinsettia by terminal cuttings taken at Encinitas, Calif., since 2000, has shown that the unique features of this new Poinsettia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Eckalbeno’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Eckalbeno’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Ball-shaped inflorescences with recurved pale yellow and pink bi-colored flower bracts.

2. Recurved dark green-colored leaves.

3. Uniform and mounded plant habit.

4. Early flowering; natural season flower maturity date is December 1 for plants grown in Encinitas, Calif.; response time, about 9.5 weeks.

5. Excellent post-production longevity.

Plants of the new Poinsettia can be compared to plants of the cultivar Eckaddis. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Encinitas, Calif., plants of the new Poinsettia differed primarily from plants of the cultivar Eckaddis in flower bract color as plants of the cultivar Eckaddis have solid dark pink-colored flower bracts.

Plants of the new Poinsettia can also be compared to plants of the cultivar Windark, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,546. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Encinitas, Calif., plants of the new Poinsettia differed primarily from plants of the cultivar Windark in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Poinsettia were slightly taller than plants of the cultivar Windark.

2. Plants of the new Poinsettia had longer leaves than plants of the cultivar Windark.

3. Leaf and flower bract petioles of plants of the new Poinsettia were green in color whereas leaf and flower bract petioles of plants of the cultivar Windark were red in color.

4. Inflorescences of plants of the new Poinsettia were more rounded than inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Windark.

5. Flower bracts of plants of the new Poinsettia were pale yellow and pink bi-colored whereas flower bracts of plants of the cultivar Windark were solid red-colored.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Poinsettia, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Poinsettia.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Eckalbeno’ grown in a 16.5-cm container.

The photograph at the top of the second sheet comprises a top perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Eckalbeno’.

The photograph at the bottom of the second sheet is a close-up view of typical leaves and flower bracts of ‘Eckalbeno’ (left) and ‘Windark’ (right).

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The new Poinsettia has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The aforementioned photographs, following observations and averaged measurements describe plants grown in Encinitas, Calif. during the winter under commercial practice in a polyethylene-covered greenhouse with day temperatures about 24° C., night temperatures about 19° C., and light levels about 4,000 foot-candles. Single plants were grown in 16.5-cm pots and pinched once. Plants were flowered under natural season short day/long night conditions. Plants were about 18.5 weeks from unrooted cuttings when the photographs and the detailed botanical description were taken.

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

Botanical classification: Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. cultivar Eckalbeno.

Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of a unnamed proprietary Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. induced mutation, not patented.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—Terminal cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About 10 days at 20 to 22° C.

Time to develop roots.—About 28 days at 20 to 22° C.

Root description.—Thick, fibrous and freely-branching.

Plant description:

Plant form.—Inverted triangle, top of plant rounded and mounding.

Growth habit.—Upright and uniform plant habit. Moderate vigor.

Plant height.—About 26 cm.

Plant diameter or spread.—About 26.5 cm.

Lateral branch description.—Quantity: About five lateral branches develop after pinching. Length: About 22 cm. Diameter: About 6 mm. Internode length: About 1.5 cm. Color: 146B to 146C.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate, single. Quantity of leaves per lateral branch: About eight. Length: About 10 cm. Width: About 7 cm. Shape: Elliptic to narrowly cordate with irregular lobing. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Rounded to cordate. Margin: Entire, with small irregular teeth. Venation pattern: Pinnate. Texture: Upper surface: Glabrous. Lower surface: Slightly pubescent. Surface: Rugose. Orientation: Recurved. Color: Young and fully expanded foliage, upper surface: Darker than 147A. Young and fully expanded foliage, lower surface: More gray than 147B. Venation, upper surface: 147C. Venation, lower surface: 147D. Petiole: Length: About 1.5 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Color: 144C.

Inflorescence description:

Inflorescence type and habit.—Inflorescences are compound corymbs of cyathia with colored flower bracts subtending the cyathia. Flower bracts recurved, inflorescences ball-shaped. Inflorescences are not fragrant. Inflorescences persistent.

Natural flowering season.—Autumn/winter in Northern Hemisphere. Flower initiation and development is induced under long nyctoperiod conditions. Response time, about 9.5 weeks; natural season flower maturity date is December 1 for plants grown in Encinitas, Calif.

Post-production longevity.—Plants of the new Poinsettia maintain good substance and bract color for about three to four weeks under interior conditions.

Quantity of inflorescences per plant.—One per lateral branch, about eight.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 10.5 cm. Height (depth): About 6.5 cm.

Flower bracts.—Quantity: About 16 bracts per inflorescence. Length, larges bracts: About 8 cm. Width, largest bracts: About 6 cm. Shape: Elliptic to cordate. Apex: Acuminate, twisting. Base: Rounded. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Glabrous, velvety. Surface: Rugose. Orientation: Recurved. Color: Developing or transitional bracts, upper surface: Irregular and random areas of 10D and 39C and 147A, then becoming mostly 39C at the center surrounded with 10D. Developing or transitional bracts, lower surface: Irregular and random areas of 10B and 48C and 147A, then becoming mostly 48C at the center surrounded with 10B. Fully developed bracts, upper surface: Irregularly shaped center, 39C, surrounded with 10C; colors fading to 39D and 10D, respectively, with subsequent development. Fully developed bracts, lower surface: Irregularly shaped center, 39D, surrounded with 10D. Venation, upper and lower surfaces: Same as ground color. Bract petiole: Length: About 1 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Color: 144C.

Cyathia: Quantity: About 9 per corymb. Diameter of cyathia cluster: About 1.5 by 1.5 cm. Length: About 1 cm. Width: About 5 mm. Shape Ovoid. Color: Immature: 144C. Mature: 144C to 144D. Peduncle: Length: About 2 mm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Aspect: Strong, erect. Color: 144C. Stamens: Stamen number: At least 15 per cyathium. Anther shape: Oval. Anther length: Less than 1 mm. Anther color: 162B. Amount of pollen: Scarce. Pollen color: 7A. Pistils: None observed. Nectary number: One per cyathia. Nectary color: 14A.

Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to Poinsettias has not been observed on plants grown under commercial conditions. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant named ‘Eckalbeno’, as illustrated and described. 